Raising an Army
by AgentOfAngst
Summary: Batman? More like Dadman. Bruce Wayne felt overwhelmed with his adopted 2 y/o Richard, but then four teeny titans got left on his doorstep, buy one get four free. Things are getting a little crazy, but Ohana means family.
1. Free to a good home

**I love the idea of Batman acting fatherly, towards Robin or towards _anyone_ else, and so when this idea popped into my mind on Saturday I had to get it done.** **We already know Batman takes in Robin, but what if he took in the rest of the titans?**

**Enjoy!**

Prologue:

Bruce Wayne knew his life would change forever when he adopted two year old Richard Grayson. He hadn't ever really been a family man, he didn't have experience being a father but he was doing his best, he was ready for this change. However, he hadn't known just how much his life was going to change, until the middle of the night a few weeks later.

"Master Wayne, someone left something at the front door for you."

"I swear, if it's a bomb again…"

"It doesn't appear to be a bomb."

"Good." Bruce pulled on his robe and slippers before hesitating.

"This isn't a ploy to get me downstairs for a surprise party, is it Alfred?"

"No sir, not after last time." Satisfied with that answer, Batman headed downstairs, pausing outside his son's room to listen to Richard's breathing. Once again satisfied, he finished his saunter to the front door, and there received the shock of his life.

Now, obviously a lot of things have happened to Bruce Wayne that could be considered surprising and life altering, but not quite anything like this. At the front door of Wayne Manor sat a box of…

Children. There were four young children in the box, each distinct, each odd. The oldest was four at most, a blend of human and robot, the youngest cyborg ever. The oldest held the youngest away from the chaos that ensued at the bottom of the box. The youngest was probably only a year old and resembled broccoli from head to toe. The chaos at the bottom of the box was two girls, both probably Richard's age, one with reddish pink hair and glowing neon green eyes, who was poking at and instigating the purple haired girl, who had crafted a shadowy shield to defend herself from pokiness.

"Can we come in? Gar is sleepy." The four year old asked, rocking and shhing the one year old, who did seem a bit cranky. Bruce's paternal instincts immediately took over and he quickly herded the four out of the chilly night and into his warm and cozy home.

Soon they were set up in his living room, with blankets and pillows. They were all clearly exhausted and Bruce didn't want to push them, but he needed a few answers. He gently took the little green baby from the oldest, wrapping him in a blanket and cradling him to his chest.

"What's your name?" He asked the cyborg.

"Victor."

"Do you know everyone else's name?" The girls were asleep against each other on the couch and the little green cuddlebug on his chest was fast asleep, so only Victor was awake to be interrogated.

"Garfield, Raven, Koriand'r." Victor pointed them out as he named them.

"Who left you here?"

"Dunno."

"Where are your parents?"

"We don't got any. My parents died in a car crash but someone put me back together."

"Okay… Let's get you four to bed, and we'll figure things out in the morning."

Alfred helped him take the kids to some nearby guest bedrooms, keeping tiny Garfield next to him in his own room, expecting the tot would need attention before the night was through. He sent someone out for diapers and was equipped when the boy woke up at three absolutely sobbing. Bruce was horrified to discover the child was filthy and bruised, like he really had been all on his own until he landed at Wayne Manor. No wonder Garfield was sobbing. The little boy just needed someone to care for him. He washed and changed the child and hummed him back to sleep, but didn't get much more rest himself, because he was busy making decisions and plans. This is certainly not what he had bargained for, but the choice was obvious. Even if from here on out everything would be improvised.

"Good morning Richard, come meet your new friends." Bruce tried to seem cheerful instead of utterly exhausted. Obviously five kids was an enormous handful that he wasn't prepared to take on by himself. Fortunately, he had Alfred to take it on with him! Of course he also had to run his business and protect Gotham, but these were probably all things he was capable of...

"Friends?" Richard asked sleepily as Bruce carried him to breakfast.

"Yep! Four brand new friends." He prayed his "kids" would all get along. Alfred was downstairs making pancakes for everyone. Richard clapped his hands excitedly, and Bruce let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this would all work out just fine.

Victor sat in a chair with Garfield on his lap, and Raven and Koriand'r sat on books. Hands and faces were sticky with syrup and Bruce had to smile at the sight.

"Richard this is Victor and Garfield and Raven and Koriand'r. They're going to be living with us for a while."

"Cool!" Richard cheered. Bruce sat him down in front of a pancake.

"Thanks Alfred, you're a lifesaver."

"Of course Master Wayne, happy to help." Bruce looked over the sea of children, noticing Garfield make an odd face. He watched curiously, and then the little boy sneezed and turned into a bearded dragon. Bruce turned pale, but Victor just held onto him more carefully until he turned back. Richard clapped in awe and Victor shrugged at Bruce.

"Gar does that."

"I see." Then Koriand'r hopped down from her seat and lifted Raven's chair effortlessly over her head, Raven still perched up there. Without even looking away from her plate Raven gained shadowy control of the chair and levitated it to the ground. Bruce felt like he was going to faint. Alfred patted him on the shoulder.

"Fatherhood is full of surprises."

"I'm going to make a call."


	2. Watch the kids

**I love the idea of Batman acting fatherly, towards Robin or towards _anyone_ else, and so when this idea popped into my mind on Saturday I had to get it done.** **We already know Batman takes in Robin, but what if he took in the rest of the titans?**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

"I just need someone to watch the kids for like two hours while I get the house prepped for four more children."

"I don't have childcare experience, Bruce." Bruce hesitated and looked his friend in the eye.

"I don't either! Clark, I'm desperate. Right now I just need someone with superhuman experience."

"They're adorable, I'm happy to help, just don't expect too much from me, since I'm not a babysitter."

"Just keep them alive?" Bruce begged.

"I can probably do that," Superman promised. Bruce actually pulled him into a hug and then ushered him into the living room, where the five kids were playing rambunctiously.

"Shapeshifter, telekinetic, super strength and cyborg." He pointed each out according to ability.

"Mm-hm. And what are their names?"

"Oh yeah, Garfield, Raven, Koriand'r and Victor."

"Great. Hey guys! I'm Uncle Clark. What're we playing?" And then Bruce ducked out.

He guessed on clothes sizes for the four kids based on what he vaguely knew from Richard's sizing. He got toys and ordered beds and food. It must have looked ridiculous, billionaire Bruce Wayne buying baby stuff. Frankly, though, he didn't care. He was a family man now! It was terrifying!

It didn't get better when he got home.

"Hey, Bruce, don't freak out-"

"Where's Garfield?!" Bruce freaked out.

"We don't actually know…" Clark muttered.

"We have to find him!"

"We'll look, let's look!" Any part of the house that had been spared from the roughhousing of the little kids was wrecked as Bruce rampaged through it looking for his youngest.

"I've compiled a list of other superpowers your children have!" Clark shouted at Bruce.

"TELL ME LATER!" Bruce shouted back.

"Okay!" They tore the place apart.

"How'd you lose him?!"

"He turned into a frog and slipped away! I'm sorry!"

"I will forgive you when we find him!" They headed outside to the garden, and there, in the fountain, was a little green haired boy fast asleep and soaking wet. Bruce gave Clark an exhausted look.

"I'm not going to ask you to babysit again."

"That's probably for the best. I'm really sorry, Bruce."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on Garfield, let's go inside." He changed the boy into warm, snuggly clothes, but wasn't going to take any chances with Gar's health. So, he piled the kids into the car, leaving Richard with Alfred because he didn't have a van yet. He was vainly in denial that he was becoming a guy who drove a van, but driving a van was technically better than illegally putting a four-year-old who had already been in a car accident in the front seat in a new car seat. Bruce felt worse about that than he would ever be able to feel about driving a van. But they all needed a checkup and shots, the works, and Garfield was sniffly from his swim in the fountain.

Raven and Victor didn't cry or flinch when they got their shots, because they were, as the doctor said, "brave little soldiers." Koriand'r sniffled and had to look away, but was fine once there were colorful band-aids and a blue raspberry lollipop. As for Garfield, he was hysterical without any needles. He was scared of the doctor, confused and shivering, diagnosed with hypothermia. Bruce was terrified, he was shocked and horrified and ashamed. He got Garfield to the ER as soon as possible and waited patiently as his youngest son got treated. It was clear he was the worst dad ever.

But Gar got treatment and the others were okay. Though he was fussy and confused for a few days Gar would be just fine and dandy, and Bruce used the fiasco to further throw himself into fatherhood. For the next few days, he hardly left their side. And then he was jolted back to reality by his butler.

"Master Wayne, I hate to interrupt family bonding time, but you do have a business that you need to run. Allow me to watch the little ones for a while."

"...I don't know Alfred, the last time I left them in someone else's hands things did not turn out very well. They can be a handful."

"I know sir. I need not remind you that you were also a handful."

"Fair enough, Alfred. I'll be back soon kiddos! Alfred is going to watch you! Be nice!" He was honestly petrified. He fully expected to come back to his children horribly disfigured, or the house burned down, or some sick combination of the two. He tried his best at Wayne Enterprises, but he could hardly focus and that was more than obvious to his associates. After a few hours, they sent him home, requesting that he get his head back on his shoulders, and he obliged, practically speeding the whole way there.

He ran into the house looking like a madman. He didn't smell smoke, but he wasn't fooled by his mortal senses. Something worse than fire could have happened. He heard chattering in the kitchen and ran in, still frantic.

"Master Wayne, how was work?"

"How're the kids?" He did a head count, all were there, talking amongst themselves and coloring pleasantly.

"Everyone is in good health and having a pleasant time. They behaved like angels."

"So they didn't cause any problems?"

"No."

"And Gar didn't shapeshift?"

"No."

"And Kori and Richard didn't wrestle?"

"Master Wayne, you underestimate your children. They are all well behaved and respectful if you are well behaved and respectful towards them," Alfred explained as Gar reached over and stuck a gold star on Alfred's uniform.

"Thank you, Master Garfield, your horse is very pretty." Gar looked at the scribbly blue and red horse and giggled happily.

"Alfred…" Bruce started in disbelief, sinking tiredly into a chair next to Victor, who proudly displayed a neatly colored giraffe. Bruce smiled at Victor and gave him a thumbs up, before turning back to the butler.

"I'm a terrible father aren't I?"

"Not terrible, just inexperienced. You'll get better, I know you will Master Wayne. You're very capable."

"Thanks, Alfred."

"I'll be available to watch the children whenever you need me to, sir. Don't forget yourself in the hustle and bustle of taking care of them." Bruce was honestly beyond gratitude. He just nodded mutely, and began to color with the kids.


	3. Birthday partied out

**Kind of sorry that I took forever to update this? I just haven't been writing a lot of my older stories. And I know this is a newer "older" story, but I still haven't updated because I've been churning out a lot of one-shots and shorter form stories, as well as writing some non-fanfiction projects that I really like. But this story is completely planned out, will have 15 chapters as well as the prologue, so 16 updates altogether.**

**Go check out Boys Support Boys and Common Mistakes for some more Teen Titans related stuff. Or read and review another author. You do you, right? **

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Chapter 2

Richard was sobbing and wouldn't come out of his room and it was very very hard to explain to the three-year-old that just because they were celebrating Raven, Kori, and Gar's birthday that didn't mean Richard was neglected. One year ago today Bruce had found the four strays on his steps. Victor remembered the date of his birthday and they'd already celebrated it, but the other three were clueless of their actual birthdays. So today was the day they celebrated. And despite having celebrated Richard's birthday not long ago, the little boy was still livid that this wasn't his day.

Richard wasn't usually selfish, but today he had decided he would be grumpy that most of the attention was on his younger brother and sisters, and he refused to come downstairs and join the celebration.

Alfred, Clark and a few other family friends were all downstairs, watching the three kids tear into presents and gorge themselves on cake. Though it was to be their day and they were theoretically allowed to do whatever they wanted, there was a strict rule in place about Gar not running off. Fortunately, the cuddly boy was easily transferable to whichever heat source wanted him next, but Alfred, Victor, and Clark were all on high alert anyway.

Raven was in the corner avoiding other people and reading a picture book she'd gotten for her birthday. Kori was running around making friends with all the other little kids around. She was bubbly and enthusiastic and it was hard to say no to her. The fact that she didn't use her persuasiveness for mischief was something that Bruce was increasingly grateful for. The only person who seemed able to resist Kori's charms was Raven, who absolutely would not be dragged around by her sister to socialize. She did not need any more friends. Her siblings were clingy enough. Like right now, when Gar was snuggling up in her cloak (what kind of toddler wanted a cloak anyway) because it was warm and cuddly. Obviously, Raven was frustrated, but Gar was another one of the honorary Waynes it was hard to say no too. Not because he was bubbly and charming, but because he cried when he didn't understand something. It was better to wait for the little heat-leech to fall asleep, and then she could remove him from her cloak without a fuss.

"Richard, don't you want to go downstairs and have cake and play with the other kids?" Bruce begged.

"No! It's not my party so I won't go!" The three-year-old screamed. He literally hadn't made even half this fuss when Victor had had his party. But Victor wasn't as close in age to Richard as the other three, so it might just be hard for Richard to see them getting something that he wasn't getting.

"Richard, please… It will be so fun to play with the other kids! I know your siblings will share their new toys like you share yours with them, and you'll get ice cream and cake."

"No! You go!"

"Fine, I will. Come downstairs if you change your mind, buddy." Bruce wasn't just about to miss his kids' birthday party. He had done his best to get Richard to join the fun, and he had one more trick up his sleeve to try out. He walked down the stairs, picked Gar up from his space next to Raven so that Raven wouldn't reveal her telekinesis, and then walked over to his sunshiney little girl.

"Kori, do you want to do daddy a favor?" He asked, unable to withhold a smile around his kids.

"Yeah!"

"Run upstairs and see if you can get Richard to come join the party." Gar was asleep on his shoulder, sucking on his thumb. Victor was helpfully overseeing the games and making sure no one messed with the cake or presents before it was time for them.

"Okay! Be right back!" It was nearly impossible to say no to Kori, and she and Richard were nearly inseparable most of the time. Sure their inseparableness was punctuated by moments of silly sibling rivalry, but they were still best friends by all accounts. If anyone could get Richard to snap out of his funk, it was Kori.

And sure enough, soon Richard had made his grand entrance. Well, he was being dragged by an overeager Kori, who insisted upon introducing him to every single one of her new friends, who would hopefully soon become his new friends. Richard seemed to be having a good time, Kori's energy was infectious after all.

Then it was time to sing for the three and blow out the candles. They waited for Gar to wake up on his own so he wouldn't be cranky and then the celebration commenced. Cake was distributed and ice cream added, and then the sugar rush started. Victor had a much harder time helping keep order when all the little kids were hopped up on sugar. The previously sleepy, cuddly Gar was now trying really hard to escape. Richard's jealousy over the presents and the attention was reignited and Raven was hiding on top of the bookshelf from the chaos. Nothing was as it should be. So Bruce just rolled with the weird, made sure someone was holding onto Gar at all times and decided that having a normal birthday party with his extraordinary children would be impossible. Maybe they would try again next year. Probably not! Probably this would never happen again.

Eventually, the sugar crash calmed the rowdy crowd of children. Parents ushered their own progeny home, all bearing generous gift bags, and Bruce assessed the damage to his first floor. Well, kitchens could be repainted. Memories would last. Maybe they wouldn't be the most pleasant memories, but hopefully once the presents were opened and the sugar crash had worn off, this day would be remembered fondly.


	4. Twas the night before Christmas

**Trying to update all of my Teen Titans fanfictions (This, Boys Support Boys, and Common Mistakes) before I leave for Thanksgiving break a week from tomorrow. This chapter's checked off but the other two will be harder and I still also have to do school work and Nanowrimo, so wish me luck!**

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Chapter 3

"Gar, Gar, Gar, no, no, no, no, no!" Bruce caught his youngest by the back of his cozy little Christmas sweater, lifting him through the air. Gar squealed in delight.

"Up!" He cheered excitedly, flying through the air in daddy's strong arms.

"Those presents aren't for us yet!" After already celebrating two birthdays and two Christmases as a family, Bruce had kind of expected him to get the concept of presents by now. Kori and Richard and Raven had grasped it when they were three like Gar was now. But Gar didn't hold onto concepts as easily, and that was okay too. Gar's face contorted into a pout, almost breaking Bruce's heart.

"Whyyyyy?" He whined sleepily, looking forlornly at the boxes.

"Because we have to wait until tomorrow. It's a surprise," Bruce thought about how to best phrase it, "it's a game."

Now Gar brightened, "Game!" He cheered.

"Here's how we play," Bruce held Gar close, whispering like it was a secret between them and distracting from Alfred's repeated rewrapping of the lovely gifts. Gar was beaming while he snuggled close.

"We're going to go upstairs and get ready for bed and," his voice changed to assert the excitement of the scenario, "tomorrow morning when everyone is up we're going to eat breakfast and open all those presents!" Gar grinned in excitement and clapped, though Bruce didn't know if it was presents or breakfast that excited him.

"Yay yay yay!" Bruce's grin matched Gar's infectious smile and he kissed the boy's forehead.

"Yay!" Bruce agreed, carrying him upstairs, running a bath and changing him into warm and soft pajamas. He carried Gar towards his room, before feeling a tug on his shirt. He looked down and saw his oldest son.

"What's up, Vic?' He asked, crouching down with the sleepy tot to reach his and Victor's preferred level of communication.

"We want to have a Christmas sleepover in my room," the six-year-old explained.

"Oh, okay. Try not to stay up too late though, Gar is already nodding off and tomorrow is going to be a big day."

"We won't, dad. I promise." Victor frequently made himself the martyr, holding himself accountable for any of his sibling's mistakes. He was the oldest after all.

"Alright, is everyone in your room already?"

"Yes."

"Then let me go say good night to everyone and I'll let you have your fun."

"Okay." Victor smiled up at him. It was easy to get along with Bruce's oldest, Victor was incredibly smart, kind, and responsible.

They moved through the house towards Victor's room, Gar mumbling tiredly what he remembered of the rules to daddy's new game. Victor's room, usually neat save for the occasional scattered lego set, was now decorated with blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. Richard and Kori cheered when the final Wayne child joined the party, apparently a well-planned event that Bruce had been unaware of until now.

"Good night kiddos. Try to get some sleep tonight, Christmas will come faster if you go to bed at a decent time."

"Don't worry daddy, we'll sleep," Kori promised, the four-year-old smiling sweetly.

"Eventually," Richard added with a mischievous grin.

"Be responsible," Bruce urged, setting Gar down on a pile of pillows near where Raven was reading silently. He kissed Gar's forehead, then Raven's, moving next to Kori, Richard, and Victor.

"Good night kiddos, I'll see you in the morning."

"Yayyy!" A sleepy Gar cheered, eyes closed and mind only somewhat aware of why he wasn't tucked into his own bed.

It was Bruce, not the children, that was unable to sleep from excitement. At three he awoke and crept through the well-decked halls and spied on his kids, all cuddled up together, comfy in their matching pajamas that would feature in innumerable pictures in the morning. Bruce snapped a secret picture of the child pile now, Kori snuggled against Raven, Gar using Richard and Victor as pillows, Victor wrapping an arm protectively around every sibling he could reach.

After visiting the little ones, Bruce snuck downstairs to make sure that the presents were all in place. Victor was getting his first bike without training wheels, Kori had a massive dollhouse in store for her, Richard was getting the remote-controlled helicopters he'd been begging for. Raven, quite predictably, had asked for more books, but Bruce had also gotten her an intricate journal. Gar was both the hardest and the easiest to shop for. Gar was happy with anything and everything. Bruce frequently found Gar and Richard duking it out with wrapping paper tubes or hiding in cardboard fortresses. Gar's prized possession since March had been a sweatshirt that Bruce had almost discarded, which Gar carried around everywhere. Gar had everything he ever wanted. So you could get him anything and he'd be delighted by it, but he couldn't make you a list of his desires. So Bruce had found a few more soft toys to add to Gar's ever-growing collection of comfort items, and a few coloring books that would quickly be filled and discarded. Nice gifts, but gifts that disappointed Bruce immensely. Because these were the kinds of things he would just surprise his kids with if they were behaving or had had a bad week. So it didn't feel like Bruce was really driving home the significance of Christmas for Gar. Gar didn't know why the holiday was special.

And maybe that was okay. Maybe life was better for Gar because he derived the same joy from Christmas as he got when he found a cool stick outside. His outlook was always so bright, as long as he assumed he was safe and comfortable. Bruce loved his littlest boy for all his eccentricities, but even the ever-bubbly Kori could differentiate between Christmas and last Tuesday. So, despite appreciating Gar's mindset, Bruce did not understand it in the slightest. But that was okay. Christmas would be wonderful regardless. When Bruce thought back to all those Christmases he'd spent without a family, he couldn't imagine it any other way. When he went to bed, he knew he would wake up just as happy as each one of those kids.


	5. Stranger Danger

**Dear Eris from November who asked me to please update soon...**

**I'm sorry. **

**I have so many fanfics, many of which are actively being neglected. I'm sorry that this update took so long. I hope you guys enjoy.**

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Bruce wished that Gar was his problem child. Gar was four years old and often was forgetful or entirely oblivious to the rules. He was a sweetheart but a klutz and sometimes Bruce felt like he needed to keep the darling little boy on a leash. But he wasn't the one Bruce worried about the most for one reason, Gar had no chill. Gar would run and play and have fun but he would also freak out if one of the seven people he trusted wasn't around. There was no chance in the whole world that Gar would fall prey to stranger danger.

Not like Kori. Gar and Raven trusted no one, Kori trusted everyone, and Victor and Richard were middle ground. Bruce didn't have to worry about any of his children as much as he had to worry about Kori. She was five and didn't understand that there were people who wanted to hurt her. Because to her, everyone was a friend. And that was what freaked Bruce out the most.

He didn't like taking his kids to the park. They all loved it, they'd run off, play with other kids, have a blast. He'd watch from a safe distance. Sometimes Raven stayed with him and read in the shade as he had one arm loosely wrapped around her. Victor would push Gar on the swing or help him build up little sandcastles and Richard and Kori played grand games of tag or hide and go seek or fought valiantly with branch swords. Bruce would try to keep an eye on all of them, but it wasn't always easy. Even if he had Alfred as back-up, some things slipped through the cracks.

So he was paranoid. He was paranoid that someone would exploit Kori's trusting nature. He spent most of his time at the park watching her run around so that she didn't run off with a stranger. No matter how many times he asked her not to talk to grown-ups that she didn't know, Kori continued to try to make new friends. So Bruce didn't take his eyes off of his little girl.

Except when Gar fell and scraped his legs or Bruce noticed someone bullying his otherwise good-natured oldest, or some other emergency popped up. Then his eyes would flit away from Kori and he just had to hope that things wouldn't go array.

Unfortunately, the world didn't work out the way he wanted. After one particular scraped knee incident he noticed Kori wandering away with a tall, thin man. He didn't even bother setting Gar down, he just booked it after them, calling out to his daughter.

"Kori! Kori, we're headed home now!" His panic drew some attention from other parents. If he wasn't such a regular at this park, as well as being a public figure, he knew that he would realistically look like the kidnapper in this situation.

"Oh! Sorry, mister! This is my daddy, we have to go home now. Daddy, this is my new friend! He has a puppy!" Bruce reached for Kori's hand and gently pulled her away, glowering at the older man.

"Sir," he said, memorizing the man's features, "it's not a good idea to wander off with someone else's son or daughter." Bruce picked up his daughter, holding Kori and Gar easily and prepared to kick the predator in the balls if necessary. Later he would look into trying to find the man, dole out some Bat-justice if he could. For now, He needed to focus on getting his kids home and once again having the stranger danger talk. He let Alfred get the five in the car and called the police on the predator. Then he drove home and herded his kids inside.

He sat his five down in the living room and began the lecture.

"Okay, kiddos, it's incredibly important that you keep in mind that you are never ever to talk to strange adults, okay? Unless me, or Alfred, or Clark introduces you to another adult do not talk to them. Ever. They are not your friends and you should not trust them, no matter what they say. They could try to take you away or even hurt you." Bruce had tried to say it in much nicer ways time and time again but today was too close a call, so he was dead serious now. Gar started crying and Bruce lifted him, cradling him close. His boys and Raven all swore not to talk to strangers, but it was clear that Kori didn't really understand. So he sent the others off and sat down with her, holding her close.

"Sweetheart, I understand that you like people and I want you to have friends. But the man you walked away with today was not going to show you a puppy. You could have gotten hurt. Until you're old enough to defend yourself, you need to be more careful who you trust. No adult should ever, ever try to take you away from your brothers and sister and me. If they try, then you shouldn't trust them."

"So there wasn't any puppy?" Kori asked, getting disappointed, "He lied to me? That isn't nice!"

"It isn't nice. You have to be careful and stay away from all the not nice people. I'm sorry that there are people who will be not nice. I'm sorry that not everyone is good and that some people just want to hurt nice little girls and boys who trust them. But I'm always going to be here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you."

"Should we be not nice to the not nice people?" Kori asked, frowning. Bruce sighed.

"Sometimes we have to be not nice to the not nice people if they're trying to hurt us. If someone is trying to take you away, you have to be a little not nice. The best thing you can do if someone is trying to take you away is to make me or one of the others aware of the situation. Sweetie… I promise that when you get older you'll get to see that there are a lot of good people in this world and a lot of people will be your friend. But for right now, please don't talk to strangers, okay?"

"Okay, daddy…" He kissed her head.

"I love you, princess. You can go ahead and go play with the others." Kori smiled and ran off, and Bruce just sunk back into the couch, letting himself get his bearings. Today had been one of the scariest days of his life. He was always paranoid, but today it had actually happened. His daughter had almost been kidnapped. It took him a bit to shake that fear and panic and anger. He had to listen to his children laughing for a while before he fully believed they were safe.


End file.
